Sleep Distractions

"Go to sleep!!" A term we have all heard before, but do we really sleep when we go to bed? Many distractions can keep us up for hours, and with new advancements in technology, getting enough sleep is harder and harder to achieve.

The sleep distractions that people in modern times face include:

Homework

Studies have started to show that having more than two hours of homework a night is not beneficial to a student's sleep or education. Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford, said that due to spending too much time on homework each night, many teenagers will have excess stress and less time for developing critical life skills. Though it is proven that a reason it takes students so long to do homework is because of exhaustion and distractions from the Internet. Studies also show that students who spent more hours on homework tended to be more engaged in school, but were also more stressed about school work. They also had more health issues due to stress such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and weight loss.

Electronic Devices

Scientists say that the light from a television, computer, or phone cause the brain to be continuously active even passed curfew.To prevent this, you should power down your electronics before going to bed to gain more sleep time.As an example, if you plan to go to bed around 10 then you should avoid using electronics starting at 9:30.

Caffeinated Beverages

Drinking caffeinated beverages such as teas, coffee, sodas, and energy drinks can keep a person up for hours and cause them to be grouchy or drained in the morning. This is due to the amounts of caffeine in these beverages. It is wise to not drink beverages containing caffeine at least 6 to 8 hours before going to bed.

Taking naps at the wrong time of day

Naps during the day is sometimes required for a person if they are overworked or missed sleep the previous night, but naps that are an hour or more makes it harder to go to sleep at night. Taking at least 30 minute naps (at most) can rejuvenate the brain and body to go through with the rest of the day. It is good to also be mindful of the time a nap is taken. Taking it more towards the evening can cause someone to sleep less at night.